Family Crisis
by Dana1
Summary: Comic book verse AU Somehow it got left off the Summary!: The truth about Valeria's father comes out but it's not who they were told it was.
1. Happy Birthday Johnny

Title: Family Crisis

Author: Dana

Rating: PG (PG-13ish)

Warnings: Violence you know normal Comic book warnings.

Summary: The truth about Valeria's father comes out but it's not who they were told it was.

Disclaimer: I don't own them!

Valeria Richards sat on the floor of her playroom playing with her Barbie dolls. She could hear her mother and Uncle Johnny in the kitchen arguing about the guest list for his birthday party. Her brother, Franklin, was with her Uncle Ben at a baseball game. Her father was in his lab working.

Beep!

She heard the familiar sound and turned around with a smile. "Hi daddy."

"Hello." He said with a smile. "Is your mom or Uncle Johnny here?"

"They are in the kitchen. You want me to go get them?" She asked standing up.

"No." He said quickly. "Remember what I said about it being our secret." Then he smiled. "But not for long I promise."

"Uncle Johnny's birthday is tomorrow." She said excitedly. "They are going to have a big party but no clowns." She pouted. "You going to be there?"

"No but I'll make sure your Uncle gets a birthday present he won't forget. Remember I wasn't here." He said and was gone.

"Jonathon Storm for the last time you can not invite all the women from the Miss Universe pageant."

"But come on sis you said I could invite anyone I wanted. This is the last birthday before the big 3 0. I should be able to have a big party." He said with a pout on his face.

"Quit that!" Sue said laughing. "You look like Val when you do that." Then she grew serious. "No Miss Universe contestants."

"Fine. But what if they just show up?"

"No." She said turning away.

"How about one?"

"No."

"You are no fun." Johnny said turning away. "I'm going out." He called but stopped when he saw Valeria standing there. "Hey Val you want to go to the park?" He asked her.

"Yeah! Can I mom?" She asked looking at Sue.

"Fine but no flying Johnny!" She called after them. She watched them leave. She didn't know which was harder to wrangle. The five year old or her twenty eight year old brother.

* * *

"Here Johnny." Sue said handing him one more envelope. "This seems to be the last one." Sue said as she shifted Val who was sleeping in her lap on one side and Franklin was sleeping on the other side but being the thirteen year old, he didn't cuddle. It was very late the next night and she was too tired to get up. She didn't know how Johnny managed to pull it off but he had gotten a date with Miss Germany. Maybe he knew he wasn't going to get yelled at at his birthday party.

"Thanks Sue." He said taking the envelope from her. Reed was busy typing on his laptop not even watching them. Ben had walked Alicia home and hadn't gotten back. Sue kinda hoped those two would work it out again.

"What the..." Johnny said looking at the card. "Is this some kind of joke?" He asked standing up and looking at Ben who Sue hadn't noticed come home.

"Is what a joke junior?" Ben asked coming over to them. "Maybe somebody has you confused with someone else."

"What is it Johnny?" Sue asked trying to see the card. She saw it and let out a gasp . The front said.

Happy Birthday to the best dad in the world

Reed looked up from his work. "What's going on?"

"Someone gave me a card that says Happy Birthday to the best dad in the world." He opened the envelope and he went white as a sheet.

Sue reached over and took it from him. Her hands shook as she read it.

It was a paternity test. It said Johnny Storm was the father of Valeria Richards.

"Who could send this?" Johnny asked.

"It's someone's idea of a sick joke Johnny. We know Val's father is Von Doom."

Reed looked at the card and moved the paper. "Well it's not signed." He started. "Don't worry Johnny. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"What's to solve. It's someone's idea of a sick joke." His body started to heat up. "I'd never..." He took off.

"You want me to go after him?" Ben asked.

"No." Sue said quietly. She wondered what was going on.


	2. DNA testing option

Johnny flew around the city lost in thought. He still couldn't believe that someone had sent him a birthday card like that. It had to be a joke. He had been sure it was Ben's idea but he seemed as surprised as everyone else. Who would send it to him?

He loved his sister's kids but there was no way he was either of their father. What had happened between him and Sue in the future? He shuddered at the idea of something like that happening.

"You want to talk about it?"

Johnny turned around to see him sister standing there. "No because it's not true. It has to be someone's idea of a sick joke. Probably knew it was my birthday and wanted to have fun with me. If I ever find out who did it..." He trailed off as his hands started to flame on.

"I know that Johnny. Reed wants to do a paternity test just to make sure. Maybe it'd be for the best if..."

"This is crazy Sue! I love Valeria but I'm not her father. I don't' need a test to prove it's a joke. You and I both know we wouldn't do something like that. It's too gross to even say it." He turned to leave. "I'll be home later." He said and was gone.

Sue knew it would be best not to follow him this time.

* * *

Valeria woke up the next morning and quickly got dressed. She hurried down to the dining room where the rest of the family was sitting down eating breakfast. Everyone but her Uncle Johnny that is.

"Where's Uncle Johnny?" She asked.

"He had a really late night and is sleeping." Reed answered not looking up from the Daily Bugle he was reading.

Sue set a bowl of Cheerios down in front of her daughter before sitting down. "I thought we'd go shopping today." She said.

"I don't want to go mom." Franklin said. "Uncle Ben promised to take me to Central Park."

"Ooh can I go?" Val asked excitedly.

"Actually I was thinking of having you come with me Valeria." Sue said smiling. "You need new shoes. You've outgrown the last pair I bought you already."

"Actually I wanted to have Valeria spend some time with me today." Reed said.

Sue gave him a look. "We won't be gone all day."

"I just think the sooner we find out the better."

"Well Johnny doesn't want to know." She reminded him.

"Johnny doesn't want to know what?" Johnny asked coming into the room looking like he hadn't slept at all the night

before.

"Nothing." Sue said quickly flashing Reed a look.


	3. The phone call

"Hey Darlin you okay?" A voice asked bringing Johnny out of his musings.

"I'm fine." He looked down at his menu. "Can I have a hamburger?" He asked.

"Sure." She said and walked away.

He looked at the restaurant still not believing he had flown all this way and just ordered a hamburger. He hadn't done something like that since he was a kid and he and Sue went out to a restaurant. Though that was rare to begin with. He couldn't help but think Sue's kids both did the same thing.

He rested his head in his hands. Kids. They weren't his and he wasn't going to let anyone convince him otherwise. He knew what Reed wanted to do and he just couldn't do that. He honestly didn't want to know if it was true he was Valeria's father because he knew it wasn't. That was why he was at this restaurant. He wanted time to think without his family putting in their 2 cents.

The waitress returned with his food en minutes later. "Here you go. Can I get an autograph for my daughter Missy? She's a big fan of yours."

"Sure." He said grabbing the napkin that was across from him. He wrote out a quick autograph before handing it to her.

His cellphone rang. He didn't really want to answer it, figuring it was his sister checking up on him but he saw by looking at the caller ID, that it wasn't any number he knew. "Hello?"

"Hello Jonathon." A very familiar voice answered.

"How did you get this number?" He demanded.

"It's not hard hacking into your computers to get this information. Did you get the birthday card I sent you?"

"That was you?" He demanded trying to keep his voice down though he was getting a few stares.

"Who else would send it to you but me? Did Reed finish with the test I know he's planning to run?"

"He's not going to do the test."

"You never know Jonathon. He is pretty tricky. He may have already done it without you even knowing. I'd be interested to see what kind of conclusions you all draw from this. Hope you are ready to be Valeria's father." He said hanging up the phone.

Johnny pushed the hamburger away and threw cash on the table to cover his lunch and quickly left. He had lost his appetite and wanted to make sure Reed didn't run that test.

Sue watched as the shoe salesman came up with another box of shoes for Valeria to try on. She watched as her daughter stuck her foot out but she her attention was quickly diverted by something outside the window.

"It's a good fit on her Mrs. Richards." The man said standing up. "We have other colors if this isn't the right one."

"No we'll take it." Sue said and grabbed another box that Val had tried on earlier. "And these too."

"Where are we going now mommy?" Val asked jumping up from the chair she had been sitting in. "I'm hungry can we go to McDonalds?"

"Sure honey." She said and went to pay for the shoe.

The grin on Valeria's face made her pause. She looked like Johnny when she did that. She flinched. Why was everything her daughter did reminded her of her brother? She knew for certain that Johnny wasn't the father of her child. She was just tired and letting everything bother her. She picked up her phone and called Reed to see if he wanted to join them for lunch.

"Hello?" Reed asked after the third ring.

"Hey it's me. Val and I are going to lunch at McDonald's down near Manhattan Mall. You want to join us?"

"No but thanks. I have enough here to keep me busy. I think I may have made some advancement on that experiment after all. You two have fun. Love you bye." He said hanging up the phone.

Sue was left standing there staring at the phone in her hand.


End file.
